Why I like the ‘HT No TV Day’

I could not gauge the impact of HT’s ‘No TV Day‘ initiative in Mumbai on Jan 29, as I don’t live there. But for me, it would count among the big, bold promo ideas of recent times. The campaign was mocked on Twitter (not suggesting that Twitter is the only barometer of sentiments) – as is the case with Twitterati who mock everything. Some suggested that despite the campaign they continued to watch TV that day. Some others suggested that since the campaign was not linked to sales of HT, it was a failure. That’s not the point of the campaign.

I think the campaign idea touches a chord among a lot of urban families, especially the opinion makers. Sure there are families who cannot do without TV as they are conditioned to see it as the only source of entertainment. But there are a whole bunch of people who believe that too much TV is not a good thing. What I liked about it was the on-ground execution of the idea – negotiating with restaurants & entertainment outlets for discounts, encouraging people to visit them.

If it strengthens a perception that there’s life beyond being a couch potato and that it can be enriching if spent with your family, the campaign has worked. I am sure we will see tangible results next year, if the idea continues, which in all likelihood it will. It’s too big an idea to let go.